360 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 
if they did start on my advice and the old karbasses 
were to get into difficulties, they would round on me as 
a Jonah. But I was sick of this. So presently, when 
Alexander came down into the cabin and said his cousin 
wouldn’t go, and he couldn't go without his cousin—what 
did I think? I just looked him in the face and said as 
follows :—‘ Alexander Samarokoff, I consider you a fool 
(glupoi). You say that you have always been able to 
find a good bit of weather by waiting, and that you have 
never known the winter set in early like this. What 
has that got to do with it since it Zas set in? If you 
don’t go now—and you have a wind which will take you 
quickly that little run—you will deserve to get caught in 
a trap. How do you know that after this we may not 
have a ten days’ easterly gale on shore as we had before ? 
your wife may whistle for you then.’ 
He sat as though struck. All of a sudden this reason- 
ing seemed to catch hold of him; he rushed on deck, 
shouted out to his cousin that he was going with or 
without him. Then Alexis surrendered, for he would 
not be left behind. 
So Alexander called all hands into the little cabin, 
where they stood jammed tight (he turned poor old 
Anna out ‘because she was a woman,’ he said) while he 
said prayer after prayer to St. Nicholas’ ikon (image), 
and swung the censer till the poor Samoyeds coughed 
and choked again. Then out they all rushed shouting, 
‘Now away, away!’ as if bound on some valiant quest. 
